Avathon
Senior AI Engineer
Pleasanton, California, United States · Senior · Contract
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odds of building a lasting career here
Sponsors, but it's cap-subject — you still face the weighted lottery (~45% per draw at Level III). Good if you win; have a cap-exempt backup on your list.
Lottery odds assume a STEM candidate.
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the lottery is wage-weighted — each level is one more entry
The bottom of this range ($130,000) is below the Level I prevailing wage of $137,093. An H-1B cannot be filed below the prevailing wage, so an offer at the floor of this band could not be sponsored as posted.
DOL prevailing wage, 2026-27 wage year · Software Developers (15-1252) · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Wage level is derived by USCIS from the offered wage, occupation and worksite; the occupation shown is inferred from the job title.
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About the role
- Apply rigorous scientific methodologies to experimentation, model evaluation, and performance optimization
- Conduct prompt engineering, model alignment, evaluation, and performance benchmarking for GenAI applications
Responsibilities
- Build, fine-tune, and optimize Large Language Models (LLMs) and transformer-based architectures for real-world applications
- Develop scalable ML pipelines and production-grade systems in collaboration with Engineering teams
- Evolving culture with the opportunity to drive new ideas and technology
Requirements
- Strong experience with Generative AI frameworks and Large Language Models (e.g., transformer architectures, fine-tuning, RAG systems)
- Proficiency in Python and modern ML/AI libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, or equivalent ecosystems
- Candidates must be based in the Bay Area, CA and are expected to report to our Pleasanton office 5 days a week.
Nice to have
- Experience implementing Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), vector databases, and embedding-based search systems
- Hands-on experience with LLM observability platforms (e.g., Langfuse, LangSmith, Arize Phoenix, Weights & Biases) for tracing, cost tracking, and quality monitoring in production
- Experience with LLM evaluation frameworks (e.g., RAGAS, DeepEval) and evaluation patterns such as LLM-as-judge and automated regression testing
- Practical experience deploying LLM applications with guardrails, prompt versioning, hallucination detection, and model drift monitoring
- Exposure to distributed training, model optimization, and scalable inference architectures
- Knowledge of MLOps practices, CI/CD for ML (Travis CI, Jenkins), and model lifecycle management
- Prior experience applying AI solutions in industrial or asset-intensive environments
- Experience working in fast-paced startup or product-driven environments
Skills
- Instrument and monitor LLM applications in production using observability tools, tracking cost, latency, quality, and drift
Compensation
- $130k - $155k salary annually.
- Pay for this position is based on a number of factors including geographic location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
- Compensation Pay Range: $130k - $155k salary annually.
Benefits
- What are the benefits and perks at Avathon?
- Stock Option Grants
- Medical Coverage and Parental Leave Plans
- Contract and temporary roles are not eligible for the above benefits.
Company info
- Stay current with advancements in Generative AI, LLM research, and applied machine learning, incorporating relevant innovations into company solutions
- Below are some highlights we offer to our U.S. full-time employees -- we'd love to connect and share more!
Equal opportunity
- Avathon is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
- If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact us to discuss how we can assist you.
This listing is sourced directly from Avathon's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.